Taliban bans female aid workers in Afghanistan

A Taliban ruling banning women from working for aid agencies has drawn widespread condemnation, with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell saying the bloc would be forced to “consider consequences”.

On Sunday, aid agencies including Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council and CARE International said that without female staff they would be forced to suspend operations.

Millions of Afghans are dependent on foreign aid after the country slid into a deep economic crisis following the withdrawal of a US-led coalition in August last year.

The move drew condemnation from across the world, including the US. The ban will “disrupt vital and life-saving assistance to millions”, US Secretary Antony Blinken said in a tweet. “

As the Taliban regained power, routing the Afghan army and marching into Kabul, foreign financial assistance to the country, which was effectively propping up the economy, was withdrawn.

The World Bank estimated that foreign aid comprised around 43 per cent of Afghanistan’s GDP before the Taliban victory. The EU, IMF and World Bank were quick to join the US in freezing aid transfers.

Some of this assistance has since been restored but the Taliban’s decree has created a crisis for continuing assistance.

Millions of Afghans relied on NGOs for health and nutrition services, education, child protection and other life-saving services at a time when the country is reeling from severe poverty. The UN warned that 97 per cent of the country’s population is at risk of poverty.